Garment hanger



Nov. 5, 1963 c. H. TRACY GARMENTHANGER Filed Nov. 15, 1961 y mu m m h C IIIIIIIA Ill/Ill FIG.6.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,109,568 GARMENT HANGER Charles H. Tracy, 2525 Applegate St., Klamath Falls, Oreg. Filed Nov. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 152,608 2 Claims. (Cl. 223--93) This invention relates to clothes hangers, and more in particular to that type of clothes hanger having a retaining means associated with the supporting means.

Heretofore coat hangers have usually been made in one piece. These have not proven satisfactory for hanging dresses, particularly dresses that are made to be hung by means of cloth loops, or have rather narrow straps which are placed over the hanger. Certain hangers have a retaining means associated therewith. Patent 1,43 8,350 to Zorn discloses a dress hanger having a bottom portion and an upper portion, said upper portion being retained by and slidably mounted on the wire supporting means, the upper portion of which may be raised so as to nip the dress thereunder, but one extremity of the upper portion may not be raised without moving the other extremity. Patent 1,545,049 to Kilkerson discloses and claims a garment hanger having a main hanger portion and retaining means associated therewith. The retaining means is spring loaded but is operated by a wire portion that passes through the main angle. It is not possible to lift one of the retaining arms without the other. Patent 1,730,620 to Montgomery discloses a coat hanger having a main body portion and retaining means associated therewith. This retaining means is held spring loaded engagement with the main body portion and it is retained in association therewith by means of wires passing through the main body portion and restricts the same so that one arm of the retaining means may not be operated independently of the other arm. Patent No. 2,876,939 to Kenny discloses a two piece hanger for suits comprising a main hanger portion and an auxiliary hanger portion associated therewith. This auxiliary portion does not have one side operable independently of the other side.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hanger that may be used for coats or dresses, this hanger having retaining means associated with each side thereof to retain garments supported thereon in position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a hanger having retaining means associated therewith to retain the garment in position thereon, each of said retaining means being forceably retained in position and having the source of said force housed within the hanger.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a hanger having retaining means associated therewith, each of said retaining means being operable independently of the other means.

The various features of novelty which characterize this invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages and specific objects obtained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which have been illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE -1 is a side view of a hanger.

FIGURE 2 is a side view in section of the hanger.

FIG. 3 is a side view in section of a modification of the hanger, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6--6 of FIG. 3.

A coat hanger 10 has the supporting wire hook means 11 retained in the body portion 12 to support the hanger,

3,109,563 Patented Nov. 5, 1963 by engagement with a stationary support member (not shown). This hook means 111 has the bosses 13, 13 near the rear thereof which are retained within the recess 14 in the body portion and is free to rotate therein. This body portion has a hollow portion 15, 15 on each side thereof, which receives a movable retaining member 16, 16, which member controls the extremities 17, 417 of the body portion 12. The movable retaining member 16 is held in position by the spring loading means 18, 18 located on each side of the hanger. Directly below the spring loading means are lower portions 19, 19 of the retaining member 16 which overlie the bottom edge of the extremities 17, 17 and may be compressed by applying force to the bottom thereof to force the member 16 upwardly away from the member 17. This hanger is preferably made of a molda-ble plastic material so that the appropriate recesses may be molded therein. The spring means inserted, and the retaining means slip into position against the downward force of the spring means.

In operation, the garment hanger It} is gripped in the hand and the fingers compress the portion 119 against the spring element 13 to open the retaining member 16 as shown in the phantom lines in FIG. 2. This will allow the insertion of a portion of the garment between the elements 17 and the elements '16 to be retained therein when the force applied against the member 19 is released. The other side of the hanger may then be operated in the same manner without disturbing in any way the side first operated. The spring loaded element will retain the first inserted portion of the garment always in the position in which it is placed therein. This prevents the garment from slipping off of one side of the hanger while it is mounted on the other side. This hanger has the advantage of having all of the spring means and most of the portion of the moving parts housed within the body of the hanger and therefore has nothing to catch on a garment and tear the same.

A second modification of this invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. This modification has the same type wire hanger 29 mounted in the same body portion 21 in the same manner as described above. The retaining means he above the extremities 23, 23 of the body portion and are retained in contact therewith by means of the spring 24, shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. This allows the operation of one side of the retaining means 22 without disturbing the other side. That is, when one side is raised it pivots about the extreme other end against the spring means 24 to allow the insertion of the garment thereunder and when released will retain the garment so as to prevent the garment from sliding off of the hanger.

The novel device described herein has the advantage of always retaining under positive pressure a. garment placed under one side of the hanger, which pressure is not released when the other side of the hanger is operated to receive the other portion of the garment thereunder. This produces a novel result of positively retaining a garment, such as a shoulder strap on a dress under spring loaded means, which means are not released by operating the other side of the hanger to receive therein the other shoulder strap, but the force is increased by the operation of either side independently of the other.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, there has been illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of this invention now known, it will be apparent to those skilled in (the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that in some cases certain. features of this invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What is claimed is:

1. A plastic garment hanger comprising in combination:

(a) a main hanger portion having two extremities, one on each side of the central par-t thereof, a recess within said central part, a hook for engaging a stationary support member,

(1)) a single retaining means overlying each of said extremities and retained in sliding engagement within the recess in said central portion,

(c) and spring loaded means Within said recess forcing said retaining means into contact with said extremities allowing movement above and parallel to said extremities.

2. A plastic garment hanger comprising in combination:

(a) a main hanger portion having two extremities, one on each side of the central body portion (thereof, each extremity having a recess adjacent to the central part of said hanger,

(b) a hook for engaging a stationary support member attached to said central body portion,

Referenees Qited in the file of this patent UNKTED STATES PATENTS Bolen Feb. 3, 1925 Parameter Sept. 7, 21926 Dufiie Jan. 6, 1931 Molnar Nov. 15, 1932 Dubbs Ian. 31, 1933 Stell Apr. 4, 1939 Rosenberg Dec. 6, 1949 McLean Dec. 25, 1956 Fuller et a1 Aug. 5, 1958 Cavin Jan. 19. 1960 

1. A PLASTIC GARMENT HANGER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A MAIN HANGER PORTION HAVING TWO EXTREMITIES, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE CENTRAL PART THEREOF, A RECESS WITHIN SAID CENTRAL PART, A HOOK FOR ENGAGING A STATIONARY SUPPORT MEMBER, 